Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-04-14
THE NORTHWEST
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, April 4th, 1887.
FROM our regular correspondent

WASHINGTON, April 4th, 1887.
Probably never in the history of the
United States Treasury Department has
Secretary been appointed who was so
universally popular as Is its new head.
Not the faintest sound of criticism or
complaint of Mr.. Fairchild is to be
heard from any source. When the first
rumors of Secretary Manning's resigpa-
ton were circulated about the Depart
ment, the wish was expressed by his
suhordinates on all sides that the AS
sistant Secretary would be promoted to
succeed him. Without discussing such
profound questions as Mr.. Fairchild's
financial policy, it can be truly said that
not in years has there been Secretary
of the Treasury so heartily congratula-
ted, and never before did Secretary
open his doors to shake hands and re-
ceive the personal congratulations of
those under him, even down to the low
est rank.
1t was in last September, during the
absence of Secretary Manning and GER
tain other important officials, that Mr..
Fairchild, as Acting Secretary of the
Treasury, performed an immense
amount of taxing brain work. 1t was
at a period which was probably the
busiest in the history of the Depart
ment. He performed his difficult task
with such marked ability and energy
that it could not otherwise than win for
him the admiration and confidence of
the country at large as well as of the
President. 1t is said that Mr.. Cleve-
land then made up bis mind that in the
event of Secretary Manning's perma-
nent retirement from the Cabinet the
man who had for 80 long and so ably
been the practical Secretary of the
Treasury should be rewarded for such
distinguished merit.
The appointment of Mr.. Fairchild is
also an evidence that the strong,
conservative financial policy under
which the country has passed from an
era of profound depression to the eve of
a new period of prosperity and hope, is
to be continued for the remaining two
years of the present administration.
The effect of his promotion will be to
prevent any injurious agitation of the
money market, such as might have oc-
cured if a man in whom the public had
less confidence had succeeded Mr..
Manning.
Now current values will not be dis
turbed by the smallest fraction. Ev-
erything inside and outside of the De-
partment will move on without rip
pie; and except that Mr.. Fairchild has
no taste for the practical work of poll
tics and will not allow such matters to
trespass upon his time, there will be
nothing to mark the transition from
the old Secretary to the new.
T..k - (tn,N, &c
sion has organized, located temporarily,
petitioners have appeared before it and
it has had its first discussion over
some of the intricate sections of that
complicated piece oflegislation which it
is expected to make plain. The COM
missioners are flooded with applications
for office. Every State in the Union
comes to them for favors of this kind,
and every incoming mail brings them
more and more trouble of this kind,
while all day long the corridors leading
to their offices are filled by stream of
place hunters with anxious faces.
The Commission is not authorized to
employ clerk ora messenger without
the approval of Mr.. Lamar, the Secre-
tary of the Interior, and their bills of eX-
penses will not be paid unless endorsed
by him. The Commissioners seem to be
economically inclined, and instead of
riding about the city in carriages, they
may lie seen walking or using the
street cars.
The peremptory closing of the Wash
ington barrooms on Sunday under the
new ruling of the Commissioners of the
District, promise to be successful. Last
Sunday nearly every establishment
dedicated to the liquor traffic was
Theoretically sealed, and the few who
took chances were so harrassed that
they will in future acquiesce in the
established ordinance. The Sunday
drinking in Washington has been
fearfu!ly great, and of course its results
have been proportionately disastrous.
The temperance people are jubilant
over the success of the Commissioners
in virtually suppressing the sale of
liquor in the saloons on Sunday, and a
certaian District Judge has gone step
further. In the case of hotel-keeper
brought before him, he decided that a
landlord could neither furnish liquor to
his guests in their rooms nor wine at
the table on Sunday.